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Real-time sensor to monitor suspended sediment loads in streams

Chris G. Campbell

Contact: 510/495-2953, CGCampbell@lbl.gov

Research Objectives

Throughout California and worldwide, water quality is negatively impacted by suspended sediments in surface water bodies. Not only is sediment itself a major pollutant, but additional contaminants in these environments, including heavy metals and organic compounds like polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, and pesticides, are likely to be adsorbed to suspended sediments. Unfortunately, current methods to measure the total mass of suspended sediment mobilized in storm water runoff are inadequate. As a result, it is impossible to accurately estimate the total load of either sediment or associated contaminants transported with sediments during storms.

In response to this challenge, our project developed a fiber-optic in-stream technology (FIT) for continuous measurements of suspended sediment load in surface waterways. Our research objectives were to:

(1) Assemble and test the FIT for light absorbance measurements in suspended sediment solutions.
(2) Address calibration issues.
(3) Compare measurements to a commercially available turbidity probe.
(4) Examine portable and stationary field measurement designs.

To continue reading more about this project, view the 1-page pdf here.

Measurements collected from the proptotype FIT (circles) and a commerically available turbidity probe (squares) for suspended sediment loads of 1.0 to 10.0 g/L and for 5 different particle size classes. Data were collected in the laboratory using a specially designed storm water simulator. The Y-axis is the measurement value normalized between 0 and 1.